Grease packaging, and dispensing means for grease guns



Feb. 28, 1956 y N. c. CURRELL.

GREASE PACKAGING, 'AND DISPENSING MEANS EGR GREASE GUNS Filed April 20, 1955 PATENT ATroRngYg 2,736,431 onnAsn'racxnfoNGtAblfrsj 'S'I'G on GREASE GUNSl Norman C. Currell, MoosefJaw, Saskatchewan, Canada Application April 20', 1955, 'serial No. 502,583

6 claims.v (ci. 226-.:12'5) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in 'grease packaging and dispensing means, the principal Iobject and essence of my invention being t'o provide a device `oi the character herewithin described whereby lubricating grease may be package in flexible containers such as plastic, and which includes Vmeans whereby th'e grease contained in the package can readily be transferred to a conventional grease gun barrel without the usual mess and trouble associated with this operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the pack- .ages can be suicient to charge 'a grease gun once or, they lcan be used for the bulk packaging of l'grease under which circumstances an encircling rigid container is required, -but in both cases it is to be noted thatV the loa-ding ofpgrease into the grease gun is rel-atively simple and trouble-free.

Yet another obj-ect of my invention is to provide adevice of the character herewithin described including Idispensing means for grease into vgrease gun barrels which makes more eiective use of atmospheric pressure than is possible with conventional rigid containers.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character `herewi-thin described which includes grease packaging means in which any grease remaining in the container is protected from contamination by foreign material. y

Still another object vof my inventionis to provide a device of the characterherewithin described which includes grease packaging and dispensing means wherein the majority 'of the grease can be removed from the package -by manipulating same thereby reducing waste considerably.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is as economical in manufacture and production as conventional means and which furthermore is lighter in weight than conventional means thereby les-sening the cost of transportation and handling.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects land advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as thi-s specication proceeds, vmy invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is `a side elevation of the lower open end of the grease gun barrel with the injection nozzle component removed, showing my flexible grease container surrounding the open end and also showing one of the methods of clamping the lling neck to said open end.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional representation of one side of the open end of said barrel showing the clamping means in the clamped or closed position.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of an alternative form of clamp.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3 but enlarged with respect to same.

Figure 5 is a side elevation partially sectioned of a 2 grease container showing Vthe rigid cylinder surrounding same.

lFigure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation reduced in scale from Figure l, showing an alternativemeansfsecurd tothe base of the grease package.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation re'duc'edin scale from Figure l, showing an'al-te'rnative means secured to the base 'of thegre'a'se package.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section of the 'lower corner 'of Figure 5 showing an alternative means holding the exiblebag to the rigid container.

vIn 'the drawings like characters of referenceindicate corresponding'parts in the different figures.

Apart from relatively expensive equipment used in garages and the like, the conventional method of jiillirrg grease guns with grease from bulk contain-ers -is lrelatively messy, wasteful and lti'rne-consuming, as well as having the tendency of introducing a considerable amount 'of air into'the gun with the grease, which affects the subsequent operation of the gun.

lThe present invention overcomes these disadvantages as will hereinafter be described, and permits the grease'gun to be loaded easily and eiiiciently without the necessity of mess occurring.

Proceeding therefore to describe my invention in detail, reference should be made hrst to Figure l'whic'h shows the basic principle, normally inten-ded to be utilised for the 'packaging of grease in relatively small amounts as 'con'- trast'cd to what may be called bulk packaging. Figure l shows the lower end 1t) of a grease gun barrel, screw threaded as at 11 adjacent the open end 12 thereof for the attachment thereto of 'the conventional injection component which of course has to be removed prior to iilling the gun. The grease packaging means 13 comprises a bag preferably manufactured of one of the flexible plastics, said bag being open at the upper end 14 thereof. It will be appreciated that Vthe bags are iilled with grease at` the manufacturing plant, whereupon the open lend or fill-ing neck 14 may be clamped closed by conventional means (not illustrated). v

However, when it is Vdesired to transfer the grease from the plastic bag to the grease gun barrel 10, the filling neck 14 is placed around the lower end of 'the barrel, any eircess air within the filling neck excluded by pressure upon ythe grease within the bag, whereupon the filling neck is clamped to the lower end of the barrel as will Ihereinafter be described. In Figures l and '2 I show one means whereby this clamping action may be effected by the provision of a sleeve 15 preferably but not necessarily made of rel-atively hard synthetic rubber such as neoprene. This sleeve is secured around the lower end of barrel IOadjacent the open end thereof by a suitable adhesive (not illustrated) and it will be observed that the outer perimetrical wall 16 of this sleeve tapers downwardly and outwardly' towards the vopen end 12 of the barrel.

A cylindrical clamping member 17 freely sur-rounds the barrel 10 above the sleeve 15, and it will be noted that the inner Wall 18 of this clamping member also tapers downwardly and outwardly toward-s the open end 12 of the barrel, and it should be appreciated that `the tapers on both the clamping member and the sleeve are similar.

In this embodiment, the filling neck 14 is placed over the lower end of the barrel and over the sleeve 15, whereupon the clamping member 17 is moved downwardly and, by applying sufficient desired pressure, it clamps the lling neck rmly on to the sleeve 15 as illustrated in Figure 2, thus making an efficient air-tight seal around the filler neck.

Figures 3 and 4 show an alternative method of clamping the lling neck around the lower end of the grease gun barrel, said means taking the form of a ring clamp 19 having a quick acting fastening device 20 which is conventional in character and hence will not be explained in detail herein. Suiiice to say that the filling neck 14 may be clamped around the lower end of the grease gun barrel by the utilisation of such a quick acting clamp, the seal once again being air-tight.

Before securing the illing neck of the bag to the grease gun barrel, the piston and plunger assembly 21 of the grease gun should be at its lowermost position, that is the piston should be adjacent the open end 12 of the barrel. When the grease gun is exhausted and needs refilling, the piston is normally in this position whereupon the flexible container can be secured around the base, as hereinbefore described. Upward movement of the piston and plunger 21 within the barrel will cause an area of low pressure within the barrel, so that atmospheric pressure acts upon the exible container, thus forcing the grease from the container into the grease gun barrel quickly and efficiently. If the flexible container is designed to hold just sufiicient grease to till the grease gun barrel, any traces of grease remaining within the container after the plunger has been withdrawn, may be manipulated from the bag into the barrel.

With the considerable force exerted by atmospheric pressure under these conditions, it will be appreciated that there might be a tendency for the iiexible bag to be drawn into the barrel, and in order to prevent this means are provided on the bottom of the bag. Figure l shows one such method of preventing this occurrence, and consists of a rigid rod 22 secured within the fold 23 formed at the bottom of the bag, said rod being longer than the diameter of the grease gun barrel. Figure 6 shows a ared or sh-tail end 24 formed on the bottom of the bag which, if the material is sufficiently rigid, will serve a similar purpose.

Figure 7 shows yet another embodiment consisting of a Figures 5 and 8 show details of an embodiment of this invention designed specitically for use with a bulk container for grease. In this embodiment, the plastic bag 27 is similar in construction to that liereinbefore described with the exception of course that it is considerably larger, and it is designed for a considerable number of grease gun fillings. In order to prevent collapse of the bag part way along the length thereof when the contents are partly exhausted, I find it preferable to insert the bag within a rigid open-based cylindrical container 2S having an apertured cover lid 29 upon the upper end thereof. The lling neck 30 of this bag is adapted to pass through the apertured cover lid 29 and to be secured to the grease gun barrel by one of the methods hereinbefore described.

In order to prevent entry of air between the flexible container and the rigid container, it is necessary that the base of the exible container be maintained adjacent the base 31 of the rigid container, and Figure 5 utilises a similar rigid rod 32 secured to the base of the bag similar to that Cil shown in Figure 1, it being understood that the length of this rod is greater than the diameter of the rigid container.

Alternatively hooks 33 may be secured to the base of the flexible bag extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to engage over the lower edge 31 of the wall of the rigid container 28.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speciiication shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A device for packaging grease and adapted to facilitate the loading of grease guns, comprising a exible container for said grease, said container having a filling neck on the upper end thereof, said neck adapted to be placed over the open end of the associated grease gun barrel, means extending around said open end adapted to detachably clamp said filling neck in a substantially airtight manner around said open end, and means on the base of said container adapted to restrict the movement of said flexible container into said grease gun barrel when the plunger of said grease gun is withdrawn, thus forcing said grease into said barrel.

2. The device according to claim l in which said means extending around said barrel includes a quick acting ring clamp freely encircling said barrel and said filling neck.

3. The device according to claim l in which said means extending around said barrel include a sleeve secured to said barrel adjacent the open end thereof, the outer perimetrical wall of said sleeve tapering downwardly and outwardly towards said open end, and a cylindrical clamping member freely surrounding said barrel, the inner Wall of said cylindrical clamping member also tapering downwardly and outwardly towards said open end, said walls having a similar degree of taper whereby said filling neck is adapted to be clamped between said sleeve and said cylin drical clamping member when the latter is engaged over the former.

4, The device according to claim l in which said means on the base of said container includes substantially rigid means secured to the base of said container, the width of said means being larger than the Width of said barrel.

5. The device according to claim l, which includes a rigid cylindrical open-based container adapted to receive snugly said flexible container, an apertured cover plate for said rigid container, said iilling neck adapted to pass through said apertured cover, said means on the base of said flexible container adapted to detachably secure the base of said flexible container adjacent the base of said rigid container.

6. The device according to claim 5 in which said means includes a pair of hooks secured to the base of said flexible container, said hooks being engageable over the base of the wall of said rigid container.

No references cited. 

